Page 4-The Journal Opinion-November 24, 122
NORTHEAST PUBLISHIN(; ('OMPANY, Inc.
Publisher of
Journal I[ Opinion
Wotkly oaWSlNpor pvbltsked in lredled, VarmNt. Sqlbscriptleu ras - Vermont end Nev Hampshire $9,00
par year; $6.00 far six mono; eat of stab - $1|.Oe par yonr end SY.0O for six mouths; So.Jar cifize
discount St.00.
Second €lass poltl|p; plld at Ilmdferd, Vermont 05033. Published by Northeas! Publishing ¢ompuny, In(.,
P.0. Be! 371, Bmdfonl.
Robert F. Huminski
President & Publisher
Some thanks-1982
During a recent tour of many area
elementary schools in both Vermont
and New Hampshire, we were pleased
to find that most youngsters were
very much looking forward to visits to
their "Grammie's" or to "some
special relatives" on Thanksgiving
Day.
This is what the children were
thankful for, while others thought the
most significant part of Thanksgiving
was eating turkey or helping Morn in
the kitchen. But most of them, too
looked forward to a visit with
Grammie,
They weren't thankful for
television, slick Atari games or things
of that sort. They were thankful for a
visit to a grandparent or other
relative. They were actually looking
forward to seeing these special
people. And while there, they in-
dicated, they will have fun and say
thanks to those special people in
person.
So, let's take an example from our
area six year olds and offer a thank
you to some, of the special people in
our lives, too. Let's see, it could he a
close relative, a neighbor down the
street who when things
.: or Dad who cm
were tough. Or how about a boss or
pal, who offered a slight pat on the
shoulder, reminding you that your not
alone when trouble hits.
What about your neighbor who
offered assistance when you figured
people really weren't interested in
your personal problem? Or the person
at work who looked into helping out
someone who is down on hard times.
It is always nice to say "thanks"
and at no other time of the year would
it he more appropriate than at
Thanksgiving.
We have a few thanks to offer on
this holiday. We at the Journal
Opinion offer a nice "thanks" to our
readers who have always been at our
side offering suggestions, assistance
and criticism. We appre.c, iate the
support and especially the new surge
of readership reflected i climbing
circulation figures. We thank you for
that!
We thank our advertisers for telling
their messages to thepublic through
the medium of the Journal Opinion.
We are thankful for this and look
forward to many years of this special
relationship.
And thanks to the area school kids
who said so many good and
things and us to
) what we were doing and say...
"Thank you."
Vermont State Police news
Teacher tank nearly sugared
(continued from page 1 )
hoods and kicked the wind-
shields in. Total damage in
this spree amounted to $875.
fie said it probably is related
to a similar incipient in the
area.
Jennings received a report
from a bus driver that a school
bus was passed while in front
of the Oxbow High School. The
bus driver took down the
registration, passing it over to
the trooper.
Jennings interviewed the
suspect and issued a $75.
citation.
Jennings says this week he
has a suspect in an unlawful
mischief incident in E.
Ryegate Village. He said that
a Blue Mountain school
teacher discovered someone
attempted to place sugar in
his gas tank. The discovery
was made by an attendant at
the Wells River Gulf Station.
Jennings said the victim
was lucky and no sugar en-
tered, the tank. Damage
amount to $35. to clean the
tank.
And Jennings is in-
vestigating a break in Corinth.
The complaintant Marjorie
Bobin said her home was
entered on Pike Hill and three
items removed through the
forced front door. Stolen was
a metal kitchen cabinet worth
$20. along with a box stove
worth $125. and a bicycle
worth $100. The investigation
is continuing.
Jennings recently received
a complaint from a mechanic
at H.O. Taylor's that he was
driving a Cabot Creamery
Truck in for repairs, when an
unidentified female exited
Route 91 southbound at the
Wells River roadway.
She ran the stop sign at a
high rate of speed and the
mechanic had to take an
evasive maneuver to avoid
being struck• He placed the
truck on the raised highway
divider, avoiding contact.
Jennings is looking for the
vehicle, a brown Chevrolet
Malibu.
Trooper First Class Howard
Atherton investigated a one-
vehicle accident. A vehicle
operated by Jeffrey Boyce at
2:05 recently, left the right
side of the road, hit several
guard rails and a route sign,
suffering moderate damage to
the right side of his 1977 four
door Chevrolet. The accident
happened on Route 5 in
Fairlee."
Trooper Michael Woodward
is investigating an incident of
unlawful mischief. Recently
at 1 p.m. in the afternoon,
Edward Pavlik of Con-
necticut, told police damage
had been done to his woodlot
where trees were cut to gain
access to his land.
A suspect has been sought
and the case continues under
investigation.
Woodward also investigated
a one vehicle accident
recently at 4 p.m. on Inter-
state 91 in Thetford. The
operator, August Bobon of
Connecticut suffered front end
damage to his vehicle worth
$1 O00. when it struck a deer
which had run onto the road
from a median strip.
Woodward also has been
investigating a larceny of
blankets from the Hollywood
Motel in Fairlee.
Owner Benoit J. Nadeau
claimed that customers
staying at his motel may have
taken the four blankets. The
suspects are from out of state.
Trooper Woodward in-
vestigated a two car accident
at the Laundromat in Brad-
ford last week. Phillip W.
Sharp of Bradford suffered
rear end damage to his Datsun
amounting to $500. He was
struck in the rear by James D.
Nichols of Route 25 in Brad-
ford, who suffered $100. in
damage.
At 2:30 on Nov. 13, a vehicle
operated by Gene Levy of
East Ryegate suffered front
end damage when a deer
jumped a guardrail and struck
the car. Her vehicle suffered
$1,000. damage to the front
end.
Woodward is' also in-
vestigating a case of unlawful
mischief when, on Nov. 13 at
the East Thefford Laun-
dromat, a vehicle owned by
Thongdan Sitheddy from
Lyrne suffered damage. His
1982 Datsun was scratched on
the hood and along both doors
to the amount of $150. It ap-
peared that the instrument
used to inflict the damage was
a knife. The suspect is being
sought.
Trooper Jaime Constantine
investigated a two car ac-
cident in Bradford which sent
one injured person to Mary
Hitchcock Memorial Hospital.
The accident occurred at
5:30 p.m. on Nov. 15. Mary
Blouin of Bradford suffered
moderate front end damage to
her vehicle when she hit a
vehicle occupied by Ronald
French who was preparing to
make a left hand turn when
Blouin failed to stop.
t
©
A rea childre n
are ready .for
Turkey Day
VERMONT--NEW HAMP-
SHIRE- Area schools are
decorated with turkeys,
Pilgrims, sailing Mayflower
ships and pumpkin pie. Art
classes are in high gear,
creating all sorts of clever
items, all depicting the
Thanksgiving theme.
For children in the region,
Thanksgiving means many
different things. For some it is
a trip to see a parent, a
grandparent or to sit in a local
restaurant and partake of a
hearty holiday meal.
A visit recently with many
of these youngsters in local
grade schools revealed one
thing. By far the most popular
guy or gal on the block around
Thanksgiving is the turkey.
Nearly every child revealed
that the turkey was
Thanksgiving.
Here is what they had to
say: At the James R. Morrill
School in N. Haverhill a poster
there indicated the classes
were offering Thanksgiving to
water, sun, grandparents,
nimals, school, weather,
tt'ees, Miss Carom
Gidget Rollins said it was a
special day because she eats
turkey and takes a trip to see
her grandfather and grand-
mother. Nathan Brown said he
eats turkey, then goes outside.
"Then my sister and I play
inside".
At the Woodsville
Elementary School, First
Graders are under the wat-
chful eye of Margaret
Kleinfelder. Little Rabble
Fagnant says he has lots of
turkey. Lisa Corey of
Woodsville reveals that she
and her folks will he travelling
"down to my aunt's" and she
is most eager to have "'some
carrots and potatoes."
Jennifer Whalen is a bud-
ding historian. She launched
into an accurate record of the
Pilgrim's trip across the
Atlantic "to somewhere
here", where they sat right
down with the Indians near the
Mayflower. She indicated it
was almost her favorite
holiday because "I get to see
my parents and lots of nice
relatives," ........
Odessa Dempsey, who
"lives in the blue house in
Woodsville" says she likes
Thanksgiving because you
"celebrate a bi
party " Jill Page, 7
Thanlsgiving becau
special for she will
her dinner in a
where she will
turkey and dessert".
Children at the
Elementary School
with a Thanks
project. Michael
said the best
Thanksgiving was
"Grammies". Tara
said her mother
of stuff in the
cluding turkey and
fing." Tara helps in
chen with the
but Michael said
rather not be in the
Both are First
school.
Mary Jane
Second Grade
Thanksgiving was
next week, because
"will go to see
Walpole". She looks
to the meal of
pumpkin pie.
".4
Thanl00vin00
At the Union 36
School in Topsham,
there knew
just around the
Nathan Acker of
Thanksgiving was a
holiday "because
had their first feast
Indians. It was a big
He said he has a big
"sometimes" and he
sure what he liked
Turkey, stuffing
berry sauce, however,
for "some dinners."
Kristin Wheeler
River said
part of Thanksgiving
she can sleep late
morning. "Potatoe
And Misty Sweet
Corinth said she likes
and the ride to
Topsham.
At the
School the "y
with enthusiastic
looking forward
Thanksgiving, all
mings and visits
please turn to page 5
Some are white, others black. Some
/ frozen, some fresh, some female, others
male.
And some are wild, while most are
domestic. What creature could be so
versatile and so popular in this region at
this time of the year?
The turkey. This large game bird is
really related to the pheasant and ranges
as far north as Maine. Someday, the New
Hampshire Department of Fish and Game
indicated recently, there will be wild
turkeys in this area of New Hamhire.
Some havebeen seen in Monroe.
And in Vermont, the most successful
wild turkey management program in the
country has seen a large number of birds
taken, each year. Timse wild mrkays
gather in small flocks and eat nuts, berries
and other small items. At night they rot
in trees.
Raising turkeys in this region is not
really difficult. The day old pours arrive
over at Agway in early April and by the
second week of November, just 32 weeks
later, they are ready for slaught'.
We have been raising t-urkys for five
years and have always had good luck with
them. There are usually one or two of the
younger chicks who won't survive those
difficult first days, butwe end up with over
90 percent at slaughter time.
This year, we started killing them
earlier to take advantage of lighter birds.
The recent session last w¢k indicated that
hens being made ready for Thanksgiving
and Christmas are weighing in at 17
pounds. We are holding back one huge
Tom turkey for our family Thanksgiving
and his weight is now at 40 pounds!
Local prices for a fresh bird are ranging
this year around 58 cents up to 80 cents.
Fresh killed birds sold at turkey houses
are well over $1.00 per pound. Frozen
prices this year are equally as attractive.
We have so far, my turkey partner and I,
lodged 90 pounds each of dressed birds in
the freezers. The color of these White
Holland birds is excellent, the meat tender
and firm and costs to raise them has been
reasonable.
For just the baby birds at $2.50 each and
grain to feed and finish up to this point,
each pound of dressed turkey cost us
approximately 96 cents. That is not bad for
a product this fresh.
We find that roasting the bird in the
wood fired cook stove is by far the most
nnUlar way to produce a very tasty
. The bird is cooked breast up in an
oven kept around 325 to 350 degrees. It is
coated with a light covering of butter,
stuffed and cooked for at least 7 hours. We
find this time is the best to produce a
delicious 25to 30 pound turkey.
Two hours, before it is ready to be taken
out of the oven, give it one last turn and
take the top off the baking pan. The
last few cooking lmurs will give the bird an
excellent bronzy look.
Looking out the window this morning as
this is being written, the frost has coated
the floor of the turkey pen out to the back
of the house.
Old Tom .Turkey struts about, clicking
and gobblir, g into tbe morning c01d. He
seems to he complaining, probably not
about the weather, but about the nature of
the Thanksgiving holiday.
Not much of a Thanksgiving for him.
)
(Letters to the Editor
Political spirit alive and well!
To the Editor:
volunteers and contributors, destination was built by
Others, were simply out there others. Perhaps no other ef-
I
Darling Pond, Vail's
Pond, and Noyes or Seyon
Pond -- all of these are the
same body of water in West
Gr,ton, the names indicating
some of the owners through
the years.
Around the 170's this
area was owned as woodlots
by Jonathan Darling and
Isaac Ricker, who operated a
sawmill in Groton village. In
1884 they dissolved their
partnership, Mr. Darling
retaining the virgin tim-
berland in West Groton and
the adjoining uncharted area
known as Harris Gore. He
began logging it in the early
1890's, erecting a sawmill and
a bosrdinghouse, 00ides Se00'on Pond a wilderness retreat
large house for his own * • •
family. He also built a dam to
enlarge the small natural
pond nearby -- which became
Darling Pond.
In 1898 Mr. Darling sold
out to S. F. Griffith, known at
that time as the "Lumber
King of Vermont."
In 1910 the pond and 200
acres around it were pur-
chased by Theodore N. Vail,
one of America's financial
titans, who had built up the
American Telephone and
Telegraph Company and at
that time was its president, He
bought Darling Pond because
of its reputation as an ex-
cellent habitat for native
brook trout, and used it as a
fishing camp for himself and
his many business acquain-
tances.
When Mr. Vail died,
Darling Pond was sold to
Robert Peckett, owner of one
of New England's most
famous summer and winter
resorts, in Sugar Hill. In later
years, after the Robitzers
owned the pond, Mr. Peckett,
who was then in his eighties,
used to come and visit the
place, and would regale
ever:gne at lunch with
anecdotes of his experiences
here, and the famous
Americans who had been his
guests.
concrete dam with an enor-
mous spillway, then erected a
building to enclose a 20-foot
water wheel and generator.
He also redecorated and
renovated the main house,
strengthening it with steel l-
beams to support the large
living and dining rooms.
At the base of a spring
that is reputed to be one of the
best in Vermont, Mr. Noyes
built a fish hatchery building
-- but it was never used,
because the pond was already
producing and supporting as
many trout as anyone could
want.
When Mr. Noyes died in
1924, his will placed the Seyon
property in a trust to keep it in
the family, and to care for it
forever. Although this was a
fine thought, it never seemed
to work, as the Noyes heirs did
not have enough interest in the
place. It was largely at the
mercy of the bank and the
caretakers until 1954, when
the estate's trustees obtained
a court order breaking the
will, and put Seyon up for sale.
Sources: Mr. Glover's
Groton; recollections of
Arland Robitzer.
Purchase by Robitzers
In the meantime, At!and
Robitzer and his wife, Jimmie
(Marjorie), of Reading,
Pennsylvania, had become
December of 1955.
Mr. Robitzer's memoirs
tell about their first visit to the
pond with their realtor: "He
led us through several pic-
turebook villages and then
onto a country dirt road that
led us to a lesser dirt road.
(We assumed the dirt since
everything was snow-covered
at that time.) Here we learned
that the property had two
miles of private road, all
uphill, and with three gates to
open... The entire entrance
road was lined with tall old
native hardwoods...
"After a long and slow
climb, we came into a clearing
which resembled a plateau
nestled in the mountains, and
so it was, as the buildings sat
at an altitude of 2000 feet. As
we stopped in front of the
largest building, the realtor
pointed to what seemed to be a
large, snow-covered field and
said, 'There is the best native
trout pond in New England'..
"The house was sturdy
and built for the ages. It had 17
assorted rooms, two cellars,
and a large, L-shaped, sunny
perch. There were a huge
barn, several smaller sheds, a
boathouse, a caretaker's
cottage, and a generating
system powered by a 204oot
water wheel. There was also
the fish hatchery building,
agreed on price, and shortly
thereafter the bank over-
seeing the estate accepted our
offer/'
For $45,000 the Robitzers
got a 65-acre "lake, 11
buildings, furnishings and
equipment, and 3436 acres of
partially-logged woodland.
• Moving day
After extended goodbyes,
Harry Noyes
It's the candidate's name in the crowd, shaking my fort requires the help of so In 1929 the pond was sold
which is emblazoned on
bumper stickers, ad- hand, waving from the car, many. I am most grateful to to Harry K. Noyes of Boston,
passing on a good word to a you.
vertisements, buttons and neighbor, sharing a warm I believe the political spirit theBuicksmaSterfor all ofdistribut°rNew England.°f
handouts. But behind every
political figure are the peopte smile, is alive and well in the State of To rename the pond, he
who remain anonymous, but I want to say thanks to you Vermont, thanks to the many reversed Noyes to make
who have given their support, all. Although in the end, it's individuals who continue to Seyon, and he called the place
the candidate who stands at give it life. "Seyon Trout Ranch."
Some of them are known,- the podium alone facing the Madeleine M. Kunin Mr. Noyes enlarged the
they appear on lists of microphones, the road to that Burlington, Vt. pond by building a huge
bored and disilltmioned with
city life. He decided to give up
his beer wholesaling business,
and they made plans to find a
new way of life and a new way
of earning a living,
somewhere out in the country.
After a year of searching for
the perfect spot, they finally
found it at Seyon Pond, in
which had never been used.
"Love at first sight is a
tired and overworked phrase,
yet it still expresses best our
feelings for what we saw --
although we tried to avvear
nonchalant to the realtor.
With certain knowledge that
this piece of the world was
what we had been seeking, we
hour gusts, shaking the house former owners,
and rocking the beds. of the first telephones
Another surprise awaited area, a private line
them in the morning -- 22 daring through the
inches of snow. As fast as several miles, the
possible they emptied the from tree to tree.
contents of the tractor-trailer "Our
into the sunporch, then controlled by an
everybody who was leaving Groton
left quickly before the room facing the main
snowdrifts became ira- There, in truth, was
passable, of information,
friendly and warra,
Settling in always aware, by
Although the house at her front window
Seyon was basically sound, it telephone
had suffered from years of everything that was
haphazard care, and required "We often
considerable repairing, advice. Where do
cleaning, and painting, doctor? To whom do
Through the yearsits defenses our taxes? Who
against wintery weather bad syrup? Who is a
greatly diminished, so, driven electrician, a
by necessity, and with mechanic? She
freezing fingers, the Robitzers tell us.
hurriedly puttied the windows "Our
and replaced stormsash to cut was 39 ring 2, but no
down the drafts, how many rings,
With all there was to be the line -- and I
done, the days were never nine -- would pick
long enough, but in this brand telephone and
new world of theirs there was conversation.
great satisfaction in learning accepted form of
and adapting and coping, especially during the
What they didn't learn by trial months. Our '39
and error they could usually also a source
find out by asking their new, h- our supposedly
bors. sophisticated
They gradually explored friends, but I tell
their new little kingdom by sorely
putting on their snowshoes friendliness of the
every day a little.before dusk when progress
and going out for an hour or and our old
so, and as the April sun slowly telephone.
"Today's endless
of ridiculously long
of numbers reauires a
finger and one hell
memory. It used to be i
the Robitzers packed up and
headed for Vermont on a
sunny, almost summery, day
in late March. Their caravan
included a stake truck, a
tractor-trailer, and their car.
In Groton they were joined by
the realtor in his new
Packard.
Everything went fine until
they started the two mile
consumed the snow, surprises
came to light almost daily --
ascent to Seyon. All four such as a large and well-built
vehicles got bogged down in dock on the shore-of the
the snow and mud and had to pond.
he rescued by the combined
efforts of a neighboring far- The telephone
mer with a tractor, and the Mr. Robitzer speaks of
local road agent with an an- their telephone and its fringe
cient bulldozer, who hauled all benefits: "For our first four or
the vehicles up to the house, five years the old wooden wail
It was cold and dark by telephone was still in use.
the time they arrived, so Since Theodore N. Vail, the
warm Cues and a quieidy telephone magnate of the
cooked supper were most early 1900,s, was one of the
welcome, and so everyone
was bedded down for the night
-- family, friends who were
helping them move, truck
drivers, and the realtor.
Moving day had been
springlike, but Mr. Robitzer
says that all hell broke loose
during the night. They began
learning right then and there
that the wind was a force to be
reckoned with at this high
altitude, funneling between
the hills and sweeping aoss
the lake in 40 to 50 mile an
a crank, and say,
if P. T. isn't our
please get him on the
(Note: This was P. T.
owner and operator
grocery store in
village.) _.
(Continued next we"
The Living Room
Page 4-The Journal Opinion-November 24, 122
NORTHEAST PUBLISHIN(; ('OMPANY, Inc.
Publisher of
Journal I[ Opinion
Wotkly oaWSlNpor pvbltsked in lredled, VarmNt. Sqlbscriptleu ras - Vermont end Nev Hampshire $9,00
par year; $6.00 far six mono; eat of stab - $1|.Oe par yonr end SY.0O for six mouths; So.Jar cifize
discount St.00.
Second €lass poltl|p; plld at Ilmdferd, Vermont 05033. Published by Northeas! Publishing ¢ompuny, In(.,
P.0. Be! 371, Bmdfonl.
Robert F. Huminski
President & Publisher
Some thanks-1982
During a recent tour of many area
elementary schools in both Vermont
and New Hampshire, we were pleased
to find that most youngsters were
very much looking forward to visits to
their "Grammie's" or to "some
special relatives" on Thanksgiving
Day.
This is what the children were
thankful for, while others thought the
most significant part of Thanksgiving
was eating turkey or helping Morn in
the kitchen. But most of them, too
looked forward to a visit with
Grammie,
They weren't thankful for
television, slick Atari games or things
of that sort. They were thankful for a
visit to a grandparent or other
relative. They were actually looking
forward to seeing these special
people. And while there, they in-
dicated, they will have fun and say
thanks to those special people in
person.
So, let's take an example from our
area six year olds and offer a thank
you to some, of the special people in
our lives, too. Let's see, it could he a
close relative, a neighbor down the
street who when things
.: or Dad who cm
were tough. Or how about a boss or
pal, who offered a slight pat on the
shoulder, reminding you that your not
alone when trouble hits.
What about your neighbor who
offered assistance when you figured
people really weren't interested in
your personal problem? Or the person
at work who looked into helping out
someone who is down on hard times.
It is always nice to say "thanks"
and at no other time of the year would
it he more appropriate than at
Thanksgiving.
We have a few thanks to offer on
this holiday. We at the Journal
Opinion offer a nice "thanks" to our
readers who have always been at our
side offering suggestions, assistance
and criticism. We appre.c, iate the
support and especially the new surge
of readership reflected i climbing
circulation figures. We thank you for
that!
We thank our advertisers for telling
their messages to thepublic through
the medium of the Journal Opinion.
We are thankful for this and look
forward to many years of this special
relationship.
And thanks to the area school kids
who said so many good and
things and us to
) what we were doing and say...
"Thank you."
Vermont State Police news
Teacher tank nearly sugared
(continued from page 1 )
hoods and kicked the wind-
shields in. Total damage in
this spree amounted to $875.
fie said it probably is related
to a similar incipient in the
area.
Jennings received a report
from a bus driver that a school
bus was passed while in front
of the Oxbow High School. The
bus driver took down the
registration, passing it over to
the trooper.
Jennings interviewed the
suspect and issued a $75.
citation.
Jennings says this week he
has a suspect in an unlawful
mischief incident in E.
Ryegate Village. He said that
a Blue Mountain school
teacher discovered someone
attempted to place sugar in
his gas tank. The discovery
was made by an attendant at
the Wells River Gulf Station.
Jennings said the victim
was lucky and no sugar en-
tered, the tank. Damage
amount to $35. to clean the
tank.
And Jennings is in-
vestigating a break in Corinth.
The complaintant Marjorie
Bobin said her home was
entered on Pike Hill and three
items removed through the
forced front door. Stolen was
a metal kitchen cabinet worth
$20. along with a box stove
worth $125. and a bicycle
worth $100. The investigation
is continuing.
Jennings recently received
a complaint from a mechanic
at H.O. Taylor's that he was
driving a Cabot Creamery
Truck in for repairs, when an
unidentified female exited
Route 91 southbound at the
Wells River roadway.
She ran the stop sign at a
high rate of speed and the
mechanic had to take an
evasive maneuver to avoid
being struck• He placed the
truck on the raised highway
divider, avoiding contact.
Jennings is looking for the
vehicle, a brown Chevrolet
Malibu.
Trooper First Class Howard
Atherton investigated a one-
vehicle accident. A vehicle
operated by Jeffrey Boyce at
2:05 recently, left the right
side of the road, hit several
guard rails and a route sign,
suffering moderate damage to
the right side of his 1977 four
door Chevrolet. The accident
happened on Route 5 in
Fairlee."
Trooper Michael Woodward
is investigating an incident of
unlawful mischief. Recently
at 1 p.m. in the afternoon,
Edward Pavlik of Con-
necticut, told police damage
had been done to his woodlot
where trees were cut to gain
access to his land.
A suspect has been sought
and the case continues under
investigation.
Woodward also investigated
a one vehicle accident
recently at 4 p.m. on Inter-
state 91 in Thetford. The
operator, August Bobon of
Connecticut suffered front end
damage to his vehicle worth
$1 O00. when it struck a deer
which had run onto the road
from a median strip.
Woodward also has been
investigating a larceny of
blankets from the Hollywood
Motel in Fairlee.
Owner Benoit J. Nadeau
claimed that customers
staying at his motel may have
taken the four blankets. The
suspects are from out of state.
Trooper Woodward in-
vestigated a two car accident
at the Laundromat in Brad-
ford last week. Phillip W.
Sharp of Bradford suffered
rear end damage to his Datsun
amounting to $500. He was
struck in the rear by James D.
Nichols of Route 25 in Brad-
ford, who suffered $100. in
damage.
At 2:30 on Nov. 13, a vehicle
operated by Gene Levy of
East Ryegate suffered front
end damage when a deer
jumped a guardrail and struck
the car. Her vehicle suffered
$1,000. damage to the front
end.
Woodward is' also in-
vestigating a case of unlawful
mischief when, on Nov. 13 at
the East Thefford Laun-
dromat, a vehicle owned by
Thongdan Sitheddy from
Lyrne suffered damage. His
1982 Datsun was scratched on
the hood and along both doors
to the amount of $150. It ap-
peared that the instrument
used to inflict the damage was
a knife. The suspect is being
sought.
Trooper Jaime Constantine
investigated a two car ac-
cident in Bradford which sent
one injured person to Mary
Hitchcock Memorial Hospital.
The accident occurred at
5:30 p.m. on Nov. 15. Mary
Blouin of Bradford suffered
moderate front end damage to
her vehicle when she hit a
vehicle occupied by Ronald
French who was preparing to
make a left hand turn when
Blouin failed to stop.
t
©
A rea childre n
are ready .for
Turkey Day
VERMONT--NEW HAMP-
SHIRE- Area schools are
decorated with turkeys,
Pilgrims, sailing Mayflower
ships and pumpkin pie. Art
classes are in high gear,
creating all sorts of clever
items, all depicting the
Thanksgiving theme.
For children in the region,
Thanksgiving means many
different things. For some it is
a trip to see a parent, a
grandparent or to sit in a local
restaurant and partake of a
hearty holiday meal.
A visit recently with many
of these youngsters in local
grade schools revealed one
thing. By far the most popular
guy or gal on the block around
Thanksgiving is the turkey.
Nearly every child revealed
that the turkey was
Thanksgiving.
Here is what they had to
say: At the James R. Morrill
School in N. Haverhill a poster
there indicated the classes
were offering Thanksgiving to
water, sun, grandparents,
nimals, school, weather,
tt'ees, Miss Carom
Gidget Rollins said it was a
special day because she eats
turkey and takes a trip to see
her grandfather and grand-
mother. Nathan Brown said he
eats turkey, then goes outside.
"Then my sister and I play
inside".
At the Woodsville
Elementary School, First
Graders are under the wat-
chful eye of Margaret
Kleinfelder. Little Rabble
Fagnant says he has lots of
turkey. Lisa Corey of
Woodsville reveals that she
and her folks will he travelling
"down to my aunt's" and she
is most eager to have "'some
carrots and potatoes."
Jennifer Whalen is a bud-
ding historian. She launched
into an accurate record of the
Pilgrim's trip across the
Atlantic "to somewhere
here", where they sat right
down with the Indians near the
Mayflower. She indicated it
was almost her favorite
holiday because "I get to see
my parents and lots of nice
relatives," ........
Odessa Dempsey, who
"lives in the blue house in
Woodsville" says she likes
Thanksgiving because you
"celebrate a bi
party " Jill Page, 7
Thanlsgiving becau
special for she will
her dinner in a
where she will
turkey and dessert".
Children at the
Elementary School
with a Thanks
project. Michael
said the best
Thanksgiving was
"Grammies". Tara
said her mother
of stuff in the
cluding turkey and
fing." Tara helps in
chen with the
but Michael said
rather not be in the
Both are First
school.
Mary Jane
Second Grade
Thanksgiving was
next week, because
"will go to see
Walpole". She looks
to the meal of
pumpkin pie.
".4
Thanl00vin00
At the Union 36
School in Topsham,
there knew
just around the
Nathan Acker of
Thanksgiving was a
holiday "because
had their first feast
Indians. It was a big
He said he has a big
"sometimes" and he
sure what he liked
Turkey, stuffing
berry sauce, however,
for "some dinners."
Kristin Wheeler
River said
part of Thanksgiving
she can sleep late
morning. "Potatoe
And Misty Sweet
Corinth said she likes
and the ride to
Topsham.
At the
School the "y
with enthusiastic
looking forward
Thanksgiving, all
mings and visits
please turn to page 5
Some are white, others black. Some
/ frozen, some fresh, some female, others
male.
And some are wild, while most are
domestic. What creature could be so
versatile and so popular in this region at
this time of the year?
The turkey. This large game bird is
really related to the pheasant and ranges
as far north as Maine. Someday, the New
Hampshire Department of Fish and Game
indicated recently, there will be wild
turkeys in this area of New Hamhire.
Some havebeen seen in Monroe.
And in Vermont, the most successful
wild turkey management program in the
country has seen a large number of birds
taken, each year. Timse wild mrkays
gather in small flocks and eat nuts, berries
and other small items. At night they rot
in trees.
Raising turkeys in this region is not
really difficult. The day old pours arrive
over at Agway in early April and by the
second week of November, just 32 weeks
later, they are ready for slaught'.
We have been raising t-urkys for five
years and have always had good luck with
them. There are usually one or two of the
younger chicks who won't survive those
difficult first days, butwe end up with over
90 percent at slaughter time.
This year, we started killing them
earlier to take advantage of lighter birds.
The recent session last w¢k indicated that
hens being made ready for Thanksgiving
and Christmas are weighing in at 17
pounds. We are holding back one huge
Tom turkey for our family Thanksgiving
and his weight is now at 40 pounds!
Local prices for a fresh bird are ranging
this year around 58 cents up to 80 cents.
Fresh killed birds sold at turkey houses
are well over $1.00 per pound. Frozen
prices this year are equally as attractive.
We have so far, my turkey partner and I,
lodged 90 pounds each of dressed birds in
the freezers. The color of these White
Holland birds is excellent, the meat tender
and firm and costs to raise them has been
reasonable.
For just the baby birds at $2.50 each and
grain to feed and finish up to this point,
each pound of dressed turkey cost us
approximately 96 cents. That is not bad for
a product this fresh.
We find that roasting the bird in the
wood fired cook stove is by far the most
nnUlar way to produce a very tasty
. The bird is cooked breast up in an
oven kept around 325 to 350 degrees. It is
coated with a light covering of butter,
stuffed and cooked for at least 7 hours. We
find this time is the best to produce a
delicious 25to 30 pound turkey.
Two hours, before it is ready to be taken
out of the oven, give it one last turn and
take the top off the baking pan. The
last few cooking lmurs will give the bird an
excellent bronzy look.
Looking out the window this morning as
this is being written, the frost has coated
the floor of the turkey pen out to the back
of the house.
Old Tom .Turkey struts about, clicking
and gobblir, g into tbe morning c01d. He
seems to he complaining, probably not
about the weather, but about the nature of
the Thanksgiving holiday.
Not much of a Thanksgiving for him.
)
(Letters to the Editor
Political spirit alive and well!
To the Editor:
volunteers and contributors, destination was built by
Others, were simply out there others. Perhaps no other ef-
I
Darling Pond, Vail's
Pond, and Noyes or Seyon
Pond -- all of these are the
same body of water in West
Gr,ton, the names indicating
some of the owners through
the years.
Around the 170's this
area was owned as woodlots
by Jonathan Darling and
Isaac Ricker, who operated a
sawmill in Groton village. In
1884 they dissolved their
partnership, Mr. Darling
retaining the virgin tim-
berland in West Groton and
the adjoining uncharted area
known as Harris Gore. He
began logging it in the early
1890's, erecting a sawmill and
a bosrdinghouse, 00ides Se00'on Pond a wilderness retreat
large house for his own * • •
family. He also built a dam to
enlarge the small natural
pond nearby -- which became
Darling Pond.
In 1898 Mr. Darling sold
out to S. F. Griffith, known at
that time as the "Lumber
King of Vermont."
In 1910 the pond and 200
acres around it were pur-
chased by Theodore N. Vail,
one of America's financial
titans, who had built up the
American Telephone and
Telegraph Company and at
that time was its president, He
bought Darling Pond because
of its reputation as an ex-
cellent habitat for native
brook trout, and used it as a
fishing camp for himself and
his many business acquain-
tances.
When Mr. Vail died,
Darling Pond was sold to
Robert Peckett, owner of one
of New England's most
famous summer and winter
resorts, in Sugar Hill. In later
years, after the Robitzers
owned the pond, Mr. Peckett,
who was then in his eighties,
used to come and visit the
place, and would regale
ever:gne at lunch with
anecdotes of his experiences
here, and the famous
Americans who had been his
guests.
concrete dam with an enor-
mous spillway, then erected a
building to enclose a 20-foot
water wheel and generator.
He also redecorated and
renovated the main house,
strengthening it with steel l-
beams to support the large
living and dining rooms.
At the base of a spring
that is reputed to be one of the
best in Vermont, Mr. Noyes
built a fish hatchery building
-- but it was never used,
because the pond was already
producing and supporting as
many trout as anyone could
want.
When Mr. Noyes died in
1924, his will placed the Seyon
property in a trust to keep it in
the family, and to care for it
forever. Although this was a
fine thought, it never seemed
to work, as the Noyes heirs did
not have enough interest in the
place. It was largely at the
mercy of the bank and the
caretakers until 1954, when
the estate's trustees obtained
a court order breaking the
will, and put Seyon up for sale.
Sources: Mr. Glover's
Groton; recollections of
Arland Robitzer.
Purchase by Robitzers
In the meantime, At!and
Robitzer and his wife, Jimmie
(Marjorie), of Reading,
Pennsylvania, had become
December of 1955.
Mr. Robitzer's memoirs
tell about their first visit to the
pond with their realtor: "He
led us through several pic-
turebook villages and then
onto a country dirt road that
led us to a lesser dirt road.
(We assumed the dirt since
everything was snow-covered
at that time.) Here we learned
that the property had two
miles of private road, all
uphill, and with three gates to
open... The entire entrance
road was lined with tall old
native hardwoods...
"After a long and slow
climb, we came into a clearing
which resembled a plateau
nestled in the mountains, and
so it was, as the buildings sat
at an altitude of 2000 feet. As
we stopped in front of the
largest building, the realtor
pointed to what seemed to be a
large, snow-covered field and
said, 'There is the best native
trout pond in New England'..
"The house was sturdy
and built for the ages. It had 17
assorted rooms, two cellars,
and a large, L-shaped, sunny
perch. There were a huge
barn, several smaller sheds, a
boathouse, a caretaker's
cottage, and a generating
system powered by a 204oot
water wheel. There was also
the fish hatchery building,
agreed on price, and shortly
thereafter the bank over-
seeing the estate accepted our
offer/'
For $45,000 the Robitzers
got a 65-acre "lake, 11
buildings, furnishings and
equipment, and 3436 acres of
partially-logged woodland.
• Moving day
After extended goodbyes,
Harry Noyes
It's the candidate's name in the crowd, shaking my fort requires the help of so In 1929 the pond was sold
which is emblazoned on
bumper stickers, ad- hand, waving from the car, many. I am most grateful to to Harry K. Noyes of Boston,
passing on a good word to a you.
vertisements, buttons and neighbor, sharing a warm I believe the political spirit theBuicksmaSterfor all ofdistribut°rNew England.°f
handouts. But behind every
political figure are the peopte smile, is alive and well in the State of To rename the pond, he
who remain anonymous, but I want to say thanks to you Vermont, thanks to the many reversed Noyes to make
who have given their support, all. Although in the end, it's individuals who continue to Seyon, and he called the place
the candidate who stands at give it life. "Seyon Trout Ranch."
Some of them are known,- the podium alone facing the Madeleine M. Kunin Mr. Noyes enlarged the
they appear on lists of microphones, the road to that Burlington, Vt. pond by building a huge
bored and disilltmioned with
city life. He decided to give up
his beer wholesaling business,
and they made plans to find a
new way of life and a new way
of earning a living,
somewhere out in the country.
After a year of searching for
the perfect spot, they finally
found it at Seyon Pond, in
which had never been used.
"Love at first sight is a
tired and overworked phrase,
yet it still expresses best our
feelings for what we saw --
although we tried to avvear
nonchalant to the realtor.
With certain knowledge that
this piece of the world was
what we had been seeking, we
hour gusts, shaking the house former owners,
and rocking the beds. of the first telephones
Another surprise awaited area, a private line
them in the morning -- 22 daring through the
inches of snow. As fast as several miles, the
possible they emptied the from tree to tree.
contents of the tractor-trailer "Our
into the sunporch, then controlled by an
everybody who was leaving Groton
left quickly before the room facing the main
snowdrifts became ira- There, in truth, was
passable, of information,
friendly and warra,
Settling in always aware, by
Although the house at her front window
Seyon was basically sound, it telephone
had suffered from years of everything that was
haphazard care, and required "We often
considerable repairing, advice. Where do
cleaning, and painting, doctor? To whom do
Through the yearsits defenses our taxes? Who
against wintery weather bad syrup? Who is a
greatly diminished, so, driven electrician, a
by necessity, and with mechanic? She
freezing fingers, the Robitzers tell us.
hurriedly puttied the windows "Our
and replaced stormsash to cut was 39 ring 2, but no
down the drafts, how many rings,
With all there was to be the line -- and I
done, the days were never nine -- would pick
long enough, but in this brand telephone and
new world of theirs there was conversation.
great satisfaction in learning accepted form of
and adapting and coping, especially during the
What they didn't learn by trial months. Our '39
and error they could usually also a source
find out by asking their new, h- our supposedly
bors. sophisticated
They gradually explored friends, but I tell
their new little kingdom by sorely
putting on their snowshoes friendliness of the
every day a little.before dusk when progress
and going out for an hour or and our old
so, and as the April sun slowly telephone.
"Today's endless
of ridiculously long
of numbers reauires a
finger and one hell
memory. It used to be i
the Robitzers packed up and
headed for Vermont on a
sunny, almost summery, day
in late March. Their caravan
included a stake truck, a
tractor-trailer, and their car.
In Groton they were joined by
the realtor in his new
Packard.
Everything went fine until
they started the two mile
consumed the snow, surprises
came to light almost daily --
ascent to Seyon. All four such as a large and well-built
vehicles got bogged down in dock on the shore-of the
the snow and mud and had to pond.
he rescued by the combined
efforts of a neighboring far- The telephone
mer with a tractor, and the Mr. Robitzer speaks of
local road agent with an an- their telephone and its fringe
cient bulldozer, who hauled all benefits: "For our first four or
the vehicles up to the house, five years the old wooden wail
It was cold and dark by telephone was still in use.
the time they arrived, so Since Theodore N. Vail, the
warm Cues and a quieidy telephone magnate of the
cooked supper were most early 1900,s, was one of the
welcome, and so everyone
was bedded down for the night
-- family, friends who were
helping them move, truck
drivers, and the realtor.
Moving day had been
springlike, but Mr. Robitzer
says that all hell broke loose
during the night. They began
learning right then and there
that the wind was a force to be
reckoned with at this high
altitude, funneling between
the hills and sweeping aoss
the lake in 40 to 50 mile an
a crank, and say,
if P. T. isn't our
please get him on the
(Note: This was P. T.
owner and operator
grocery store in
village.) _.
(Continued next we"
The Living Room
